


Can't See The Forest For The --

by stellar_dust



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 01:15:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17457809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellar_dust/pseuds/stellar_dust
Summary: Daniel's first night back on Earth, after Abydos.





	Can't See The Forest For The --

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mimm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimm/gifts).



> This was a pinch hit, and I haven't watched canon or read much SG1 fic in nearly a literal decade, but I love these two idiots. So I fired up the ol' hulu, watched _Children of the Gods Parts I & II_, and challenged myself to write a Jack/Daniel ficlet based only on the series pilot. Here goes!
> 
> Thanks to [melannen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/melannen/profile) for the speedy beta!

After they got back, and cleaned up, and he'd checked on Kowalski and Ferretti, Jack found Daniel staring down at the Stargate, arms crossed and with that little pinch going on just between his eyebrows.

"So, Daniel, first night back on Earth. What d'ya wanna do first?"

"Oh, am I allowed to _leave_?"

"You're not a _prisoner_ , Daniel."

"Could have fooled me, from the way the General was talking. Not to mention all the goons with guns." 

Jack sighed. "Look. Anyone you wanna call? Favorite food? Drink? Get some air?"

"Oh. Um -- well, I do kind of miss, uh ... trees."

"Trees. O-kay, we can do that. C'mon."

The ride up was long, but not uncomfortable. Daniel kept fidgeting with his shirt cuffs, and doing that squinty-eyed thing at the small print on the elevator safety notice, like he was trying to translate English into English, for crying out loud. At the top, Jack steered Daniel past the guard station with a quick half-salute to the night duty officer, and opened the access door to the trailhead and helipad at the top of the mountain.

Daniel stepped out, slowly, and his feet made a swooshing sound in the carpet of pine needles that covered the pavement. Jack double-checked his keycard in his pocket, closed the door behind them.

It was a warm night, clear, the moon and stars bright, and instead of making direct for the treeline Daniel just looked straight up, the moon and the red light from the lock panel tracing out contrasting lines of his jaw and neck. 

"Oh, wow," Daniel breathed. 

"Look, trees." Jack nodded to their left, crossed his arms, leaned back against the doorjamb. Cleared his throat.

"No, it's, it's like, it's night, and it's not cold, not desert-cold, it's nice. And oh, wow, look at the stars!" 

"Now, I know you had stars on Abydos."

"Yeah but it's not -- look, I'm an archaeologist, I dig in the ground, I spent more time looking at the stars on Abydos while working on the cartouche translation than I ever did on Earth. But here, these constellations ... feels more like home than I thought it would." 

"Huh." Jack got that. "Yeah, I get that." 

"Colonel. _Jack_." Daniel turned, fixed him with a penetrating gaze, his mouth a flat line. "You have to convince the General to let me join the search. On your team. I'm not staying here. I can't."

Jack blinked. "You sure about that? It's gonna be rough, and they'll want you --"

" _Yes_."

"Okay, okay." Jack raised his hands. "Stubborn, jeez. Fine, Dr. Jackson, I'll talk to him. I got your back." 

"Thanks." Daniel smiled, almost feral. "Knew I could count on -- Ahh-ahh- _choo_!"

"You all right there? I'd give y'a tissue, but somebody left all mine on Abydos."

"Yeah, no, ‘s fine." Daniel wiped his nose on his sleeve, the punk. "Huh." He snorted, half-smiled, shook his head. "I forgot how bad my allergies actually are. Maybe coming out here wasn't such a good idea. I'm gonna need an allergy shot to live on Earth. There's not much, uh, pollen, in the desert."

"Y'know, I coulda just broughtcha a Big Mac. But no, Dr. Jackson wanted _trees_." 

"Hah. Yeah. Thanks. Maybe tomorrow, Colonel."

Jack keyed open the door and waved Daniel through, onward to the Stargate, to Sha're, to the rest of their lives.

"I got your back."


End file.
